Sew a Softie

Easy Sewing Projects for Kids

  • About
  • Blog
  • Tutorials
  • Sewing with Kids
  • Sponsors
  • Shop
  • Contact

How to make an Awesome Kids Pencil Case

Facebook0Tweet0Pin8

Are you looking for an awesome pencil case for your kids? I hope so! What could be better than finding an amazing pencil case for your kids? I’d say getting your kids to design and sew their own pencil case. Win win.

I loved my coloured pencils and textas and rubbers when I was a kid and having a cute pencil case was a must. I had lots of different pencil cases over the years but never got around to sewing my own pencil case until I designed this one. My favourite part of this design is the easy way the zip has been sewn in. Perfect for kids and perfect for beginner sewers who aren’t sure about tackling a zip quite yet. Here’s another little coin purse I designed using the same method.

an awesome pencil case you can sew yourself 

What you’ll need to sew your pencil case

Two 12″ X 12″ squares of felt in different colours
10″ zipper
Needle (I like to use embroidery size 9 or 10)
Pins
Sewing thread
Coloured felt to cut out shapes
Glue

How to sew your pencil case

1. Cut a 9″ X 1/4″ slit down the middle of each square of felt.

simple hand sewn pencil case pattern pieces

2. Lay a felt square on top of the zipper so that the teeth of the zipper show through the slit. Pin and sew the zipper into place.

simple hand sewn pencil case

3. Turn the felt square with the zipper face down and lay your second square of felt on top.

simple hand sewn pencil case

4. Sew around the zipper.

simple hand sewn pencil case

5. Turn over so that the zipper and its tag are face up. Open the zipper. Fold the square in half.

simple hand sewn pencil case

6. Pin together.

simple hand sewn pencil case

7. Sew around the sides.

simple hand sewn pencil case

8. Trim off any excess felt from the sides.

simple hand sewn pencil case

9. Turn the case right side out through the open zipper.

simple hand sewn pencil case

10. Now you’ve made a pencil case.

simple hand sewn pencil case

Cut out whatever shapes you wish to use to decorate your pencil case. Glue them into place. I’ve chosen to use an underwater scene…partly because the blue felt I’m using reminds me of the sea…and partly because these fish are easy to cut out and easy to arrange in interesting ways. I’ve made one scene on this side:

easy diy hand sewn felt pencil case

And a different scene on the second side…but if you look closely you’ll see that the two scenes are joined…so the little fish above whose yellow tail you can just see leads the eye around to the side of the pencil case shown below:

simple hand sewn pencil case

It’s also fun to add a charm or tassel to your zipper tag. I’ve attached a little metal bell to mine above. The pencil case below shows you a different kind of design which uses sewing, instead of glueing, to create a decorative effect. My daughter, Yiscah, made this…I guess that the warm orange evoked memories of gardens and summer:

 a cute hand sewn pencil case with buttons

On the other side she has used a few of the flower motifs but added something new with a word that may reflect her love of the Beatles and John Lennon’s songs…or perhaps just expresses how she was feeling at the time:

a simple pencil case you can sew

If you want to sew your design, you’ll need to cut out and sew your shapes into place in Step 2. It doesn’t matter whether you sew the shapes on before or after you sew in the zipper as long as you sew them on before you go on to Step 3…and remember to sew them on the side of the felt where the zipper teeth and tag are showing as this will be the outside of your pencil case.

Still want to make another pencil case? Try this easy DIY pencil case.

Have lots of fun, Trixi

Related

Facebook0Tweet0Pin8

Filed Under: Quick Sewing Projects for Kids, Tutorials Tagged With: boy craft, craft, felt, pencil case, pencil pouch, sewing, sewing project, zip, zip pouch, zip purse, zipper

« New Ways To Play An Ageless Game
A Fun and Simple DIY Game for Kids »

Comments

  1. Luciana F. Damiano says

    October 13, 2013 at 1:43 pm

    A very cool project that will stimulate everyone's creativity.

    Reply
  2. Miss Prudence says

    October 14, 2013 at 8:11 pm

    What an excellent tutorial! I think I will do this with Martha this weekend! So effective! So simple! So wonderful!

    Reply
  3. Marni @ Haberdashery Fun says

    October 29, 2013 at 7:39 pm

    sooo cute!!!! love this. The fish are adorable 🙂

    Reply
  4. m.j. says

    October 30, 2013 at 12:11 am

    So cute and simple! I just posted onto my blog, https://craftypeep.blogspot.com/2013/10/simple-hand-sewn-felt-pencil-case.html
    please comment, my readers would love to hear from you!

    Reply
  5. handmade by amalia says

    November 6, 2013 at 4:59 am

    this is a wonderful tutorial! It really makes sense to me and I'm eager to try, hopefully this weekend.
    xo

    Reply
  6. Martha says

    December 22, 2013 at 12:01 am

    I always dread finishing touches like putting a zip in all sort of purses and pencil cases. Never thought of cutting a slot in the fabric for the zip – great idea. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  7. Cassi says

    May 6, 2014 at 4:48 am

    This is a great tutorial! I will be featuring it in a round-up of gifts kids can make for Mother's Day 🙂

    Reply
  8. agapegirl47 says

    May 10, 2014 at 10:09 am

    Thank you so much! I've always been intimidated by zippers. This was so clever and sweet.

    Reply
  9. Marlene Detierro says

    October 23, 2015 at 2:42 am

    Amazing idea!!! I can't believe how cute it turned out.

    Marlene
    Visit my site for Movers in San Antonio information

    Reply
  10. Awais Ahmed says

    February 3, 2016 at 4:54 am

    This is the great design and tutorial to make stationery box for the students, as it would become to easy for the students to hold their pencils, sharpener, eraser and scale in a single box so that they can find them easily once they need them. 🙂 best electric pencil sharpener reviews

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

©2021 Sew a Softie